The Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards have been two peas in a pod this season. They both acquired big NBA names with their focus being on next year, while also tanking not just for a higher pick but to avoid handing it over to a playoff team. However, for that same reason, the Wizards should be punished for using the same strategy that got the Jazz fined a little while back.
Remember when the NBA punished the Jazz for benching Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr in fourth quarters for multiple games by fining them? Well, the Wizards did the same thing in their game against the Pacers that was pivotal for their tanking (though, ironically, it failed much like the Jazz's did against the Heat).
The Wizards have defeated the Pacers 112-105. Washington sat starters Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson, who both played in Friday’s Rising Stars exhibition, for the entire fourth quarter tonight. They played approximately 19 minutes apiece.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) February 20, 2026
Lest we forget, the Jazz actually had legitimate, non-tanking reasons for why they handled JJJ, but nonetheless, the NBA still punished them anyway for keeping those guys on the bench even though it was completely legal for them to do that. Plus, the only reason why they received any sort of punishment is because their actions affected the betting companies the NBA has partnered with.
For the record, the Pacers also got fined for doing the same thing at the same time the Jazz were, so no one should come to the conclusion that the league has any sort of personal issue with the Jazz. However, fans should expect consistency from the NBA, and this is one of those times to do it.
It also shows how ineffective the Jazz's punishment was
The NBA was clearly trying to send a message to the entire league to never take the measures the Jazz did earlier this month to tank. Well, now they're seeing how that worked out. It's always the same story with tanking, no matter what the league does to try to stop it.
It's not that the NBA doesn't have a point when they try to punish tanking. Rather, what the Jazz, Wizards, and Pacers have done shows that teams don't really care if they get fined for doing what they're doing and how they're doing it. What's a few hundred thousand dollars lost mean to them as long as they ensure the best long-term future that garners them hundreds of millions?
Teams may not deploy this exact strategy going forward (and the Wizards' actions show they probably will anyway), but they'll find other ways around it because that's what NBA teams do to get ahead. The league can try to restrict them as much as possible, but NBA teams always find ways to get around them.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Jazz get fined again between now and when the season ends, but the Wizards basically copying them shows how pointless the punishment is.